Naked Soul
by Hikaru Maiden
Summary: This is a series of episodes with the new person.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Saiyuki**_**.**

**Note: I own Tara Belle.**

**Naked Soul**

~ Episode One ~

Gojyo Sha repetitively poked the young woman in the back of the neck with his right index finger. "Poke. Poke."

Tara Belle burned with rage and she screamed at the read-head. "Gojyo, quit it! I know it's you!"

"Poke. Poke."

She reached behind her to slap his hands. "Knock it off!"

Hakkai Cho sighed. "Gojyo. Please, stop picking. It's mean."

Sanzo Genjyo slept in the front seat beside Tara. When she saw this, her expression turned kind. "Sanzo." _He looks so peaceful. _

Goku Son whined. "I'm hungry! When do we eat?"

Tara abruptly felt intense cold chills chase through her and her flesh prickled as goose bumps appeared. She shuddered as she lightly placed her hands over her lips. _Ugh. I feel sick. Goku, don't talk about food. No offense. Please, Goku. I'm begging you._

"What about pickles and hamburgers?"

Tara spoke through her hands. "Goku…"

Hakkai stopped the jeep. _Those two…_

Sanzo woke. _Huh? _"Why'd we stop?"

Hakkai looked at Tara and Sanzo. "It's a pretty day. Why don't you two go for a walk? I need to speak to Gojyo and Goku."

Sanzo took Tara by the hand and they walked together. "Stay close."

She smiled and laughed. "Okay, Sanzo!"

As Sanzo and Tara set out for a walk, Hakkai turned around and glared at Gojyo and Goku. "Keep your hands to yourself, Gojyo. Food isn't an appropriate topic all the time, Goku. Realize, a young woman has joined the team of four men. Be considerate gentlemen."

Tara and Sanzo approached woodland not far from the jeep and Tara noticed a trail. Her mouth turned into a gape smile and she pointed at the trail as she gasped and her eyes widened. "Oh, Sanzo, look! A trail!"

Sanzo stared at her with soft eyes and a kind smile. _She's like an excited child. It's cute._

She stepped forward and gently tugged him toward her. "Come on, silly."

He blinked. "Huh? Oh. Sorry."

She laughed. "You're funny, Sanzo."

Sanzo and Tara walked along the trail until the hours of sunshine turned into an abrupt, rainy downpour. They walked back to the jeep.

"You two look like a couple of wet dogs."

"Shut up, Gojyo!" _Ouuuu! He makes me soooo mad! This is soooo frustrating and soooooo embarrassing!_

The team set up camp for the night.

Tara went behind a bunch of bushes and trees and changed. She put on a pink robe and a pair of pink slippers. _Darn! My bra is drenched!_ She dropped to her knees and her silk white bra dangled from her hands. _I swear. I'm hopeless. I give young women an awful name. There's nowhere to wash and dry my bra, is there? I lack the knowledge of how to care for my top undergarment. Shame on me. _She sighed.

"What the heck are you moping about? I bet it's something ridiculous."

She quickly tried to hide her bra. _Play dumb and pretend all is fine. _"Nothing! I'm fine! Hahahahahaha!"

_Suspicious._ "You're acting suspicious."

"Oh! It's hopeless!" She threw her bra at him and stomped off.

He stood with a bra on the top of his head and his eyes wide as he blinked. "She seems to have more of a temper this evening." _She seemed fine earlier._

Tara approached a random tree away from the set up camp, sat on the ground beside the tree, laid out on her right side, and closed her eyes. Her head throbbed. The continuous, pain in her lower stomach felt like agony. Her eyelids felt heavy and her body felt weak and heavy. She felt tired. She yawned.

She heard someone lay behind her. Then, she heard a voice. "Tara. Why did you throw your bra at me?"

The blonde kept her back to the other blonde. "Sanzo. It's complicated." She slid her right arm from under her head and placed it over her the side of her face and head, her head still supported by her left arm. _My head._

Sanzo noticed. "What are you doing?"

_The pain's getting worse._ _Relax the muscles. Breathe. Tense muscles cause the pain to intensify. _

He gave her a confused look. "Tara?"

"I'm fine."

His confused look turned into a blunt look. "You're going to tell me what's wrong, now. If you don't, I'm going to have to find some way to get it out of you."

"Touch me and you're a dead Buddhist priest."

"Whatever."

"You're pure torture." _You're about to get slapped. Shut up and go away._

"Seriously. Tara. I understand if you feel uncomfortable telling me what's wrong because of the impression I make on you and because we barely know each other and because I'm a guy and you're a young woman and I understand if you feel uncomfortable telling the others what's wrong because they may have made a strange impression on you and you barely know them and because they're guys and you're a young woman. However, we're a team. I know these words are strange because they come from my lips."

_Is he lecturing me? _

"There's something I want you to know. You're special to all of us. You change us all for the better. I know I seem not to be the type of guy to say these things. You would notice by your experience with me so far. It seems you're the cause of my words."

On the edge of sleep, she whispered, "Sanzo." as her arm dropped from the side of her face and head to the ground and her body felt too heavy to move. She felt slight, random pangs throughout her body and it felt as if the pain would worsen if she moved. _I must stay awake!_ She forced her eyelids open. Abrupt, intense pain shot through her head. She began to sit up. The slight, random pangs quickly became intense.

Sanzo quickly prevented her from a fall on her face. "What is with you?"

She grimaced and laid back down. "Ow. Sanzo. Stop yelling."

He laid back down beside her. He began to gently twirl her thick hair around his fingers. "You haven't told me why you're behaving this way. You were fine earlier."

She stared at him with pale, blue-green colored eyes. "I have a confession." She paused.

He stared back at her. "What is it?"

"I feel it deep within my heart. I'm able to trust you, Hakkai and Goku. I feel uncertain about Gojyo." Tears entered her eyes. "A guy touched my breasts. He also wanted sex and a blow drive. I don't portray myself as that type of a young woman."

He raised his eyebrows at her. "You're the only young woman I've met so far who isn't offering herself."

"I don't trust a lot of men. I don't want to end up kidnapped and raped and I don't want to end up having to bare the child of the one who raped me. I don't want to end up murdered. I don't want to end up tortured."

Hakkai approached, sat on the other side of Tara, then, laid on his back. "Are you two bonding?"

Sanzo stared at Hakkai as if he were insane. _Hakkai!_ "Hakkai. Stop making awkward comments."

"You're men and I'm a young woman. It would be a turnoff for you all if I told."

_I think I understand what's wrong, now._ "Tell us when something's wrong. Don't hide it."

_I think I understand what's wrong. I think Sanzo does as well._ "He's right. It's not healthy to push yourself. It's deadly at times."

That night, Sanzo and Hakkai slept beside Tara. Hakkai and Sanzo had strength, skill, flexibility and smarts. Tara had skill, flexibility, smarts, and a special ability of the mind and heart. She could barely do damage to the enemy until trained more.

Early in the morning, Tara jerked awake with a gasp. She laid between Sanzo and Hakkai and panted, eyes wide, hand over the spot where her heart pounded. She sat up, got on her hands and knees, and crawled out from between Sanzo and Hakkai. _Cursed nightmare!_

An abrupt, continuous, soft, high-pitched ring brought Tara to the ground in severe pain. Eyes squeezed shut, she pressed her hands against her ears and tears began to roll along her cheeks. _What is that awful noise? It hurts!_

A quick buzz worsened the pain and it took everything not to scream and kick in painful agony. She didn't want to wake anyone and she didn't want to scare anyone and she didn't want to kick Sanzo and Hakkai. She bit her bottom lip so hard and her lips were dry and they peeled and she bit off some of the skin from her bottom lip and it bled and burned.

_Where is that noise coming from? I have to pinpoint that noise! It could be trouble!_

"Tara. Tara Belle. What's wrong?" Hakkai, now, sat beside her. _It looks like she's in a lot of pain._

She struggled against the pain. "Noise."

He stared at her with confusion. "I don't hear anything."

_Like long, thin nails on a chalkboard! My head! _

She struggled to speak. "Hurts." She struggled as she opened her eyes a little and her vision blurred as she stared up at him.

_She looks weak._

Her eyelids closed and her mind faded from white to black.

Hikari Maiden: The name I gave this series of short stories means something deep. Don't review that any of my work makes no sense. That makes me believe you want me to give you the answer and you don't want to ponder any of my work. There's no fun that. I enjoy a good ponder. I enjoy it when words and phrases practically drive me and I ask one person after another. I get told, 'I don't know.' over and over. I get told to ask someone else over and over. I eventually give up and figure it out on my own. I ask people when I've already figured it out. I want to know what words and phrases mean to them and I tell them what they mean to me. Words and phrases mean something deep and special to people. Don't take that for granted. Think of what it would be like if all answers were given to you. I would cry and command all answers to stop be given to me right then and there. I want to journey. I don't want to be told. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Saiyuki**_**.**

**Note: I own Tara Belle.**

**Naked Soul**

~ Episode Two ~

Hakkai called her name.

Sanzo woke and noticed a worried Hakkai and an unresponsive Tara. "What in the world?"

"It seems she has a fever. I have to bring it down. It's at 39 degrees Celsius. That's 102 degrees Fahrenheit. I saw something strange early this morning."

Sanzo looked at Hakkai with raised eyebrows. "What?"

"She seems to be able to hear things and it's as if she hears and feels them inside her head. She caught a cold, but her immune system is temporarily weak because she has been overloaded. She'll recuperate nicely with rest, purified water, healthy food, and a shower. We shouldn't stress her out. Stop her should she try anything to place stress upon herself."

Sanzo grinned. "This should be fun."

Hakkai stared at Sanzo with suspicion. "What the heck are you about to do?"

"Perhaps tie her down."

"Try it and she'll be flaming mad. I can already picture it inside my mind." He grinned at Sanzo.

Later that day, Tara Belle gradually began to feel her head pound and she gradually began to feel cold and she gradually began to feel her flesh burn as if it were on fire. She opened her eyes the tiniest bit and stared, with blurred vision, up at Hakkai Cho. Something deep within her told her who sat beside her. She didn't have to clearly see him to know his identity. She automatically knew he sat beside her. She had a special gift that allowed this strange ability. She blinked and whispered, "Hakkai?"

Hakkai smiled. "Are you feeling better?"

She sat up and the cold, damp cloth that had been on her forehead fell into her lap. "I bet I look a mess."

He chuckled. "You're traveling. It doesn't matter when you're traveling."

She giggled. "Yeah. I guess you're right."

"You looked like you were in a lot of pain."

She looked away from him. "Am I freakish to you?"

"What? No. How in the world do you come to that conclusion?"

She sighed and stood, her back to him.

He stood. "Tara?"

She began to walk away. "Thank-you. All of you. You've done a lot for me. I appreciate it all. I feel I have to leave, now. Good-bye."

Hakkai began to go after her, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Let her go. We can't force her to stay."

He looked back at the young, blonde monk. "Sanzo. She's a young woman. We're four men. We met her while she screamed and ran for her life. She'll die."

Sanzo shook his head. "It's her choice."

Hakkai gave her a worried stare as she completely disappeared from view. "I hope she'll be all right."

Sanzo smiled. "Don't worry. She'll be fine."

Hikari Maiden: I'm not taking a published character from another movie, book, etc. That's violating copy right laws. I could get arrested for violating copy right laws. I could kiss my career in anything to do with the library and creative writing and the computer good-bye for violating copy right laws. It's also insulting. Ha! Nice try! Pull that one on someone who's dumb enough to try it! Jeez, some of you really are trying to ruin me for life. Go elsewhere if you don't like my style. I love my style and this is my account. Do your style on your account.


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